Kipruto Earns Bronze Medal to Lead Cards at ACC Cross Country Championships

Friday, October 31

Louisville, KY

University of Louisville

ACC Cross Country Championships

Photo by: Taris Smith | Louisville Athletics

Kipruto Earns Bronze Medal to Lead Cards at ACC Cross Country Championships

October 31, 2025 | Cross Country

Results

The Louisville men placed eighth for their best team finish since 2016, and the women finished 11th.

By: Sam Gercak

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville cross country teams officially began their postseason on Friday morning, competing in the ACC Cross Country Championships on their home course at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park.

The story of the day was undoubtedly Elsingi Kipruto, who was named ACC Men's Cross Country Freshman of the Year after placing third overall in the men's 8K with a blistering time of 22:53.8.

With the honor, Kipruto became the first male in program history to be named the conference's top rookie on the cross country course and recorded the best individual finish for a Louisville male at the ACC Championships since Edwin Kibichiy finished as the runner-up in 2016.

In addition to Kipruto's bronze medal, the Cards also got All-ACC performances from Ian Kibiwot, who placed 18^th in 23:17.5, and Geoffrey Kirwa, who clocked a time of 23:19.5 to finish 21^st.

Gustav Bendsen finished 66^th overall in a personal-best 8K time of 24:05.9, while Spenser Wolf raced to 94^th in 24:27.0 to round out the scorers for the Louisville men, who placed eighth in the team standings with 176 points for their best finish at the ACC Championships since 2016.

On the women's side, the Cards raced together as a pack, placing 11^th as a team with 265 points after recording a spread of only 33 seconds between their top five finishers, the third-best spread in the 18-team field.

Nancy Chepleting led the team through the line, placing 47^th in a 6K time of 20:28.2 while narrowly outleaning Eliza Nicholson, who finished 48^th at her first ACC Championship meet in 20:28.4.

Olivia Alessandrini followed close behind, earning 50^th place with a new personal record of 20:32.4 as the third woman through the line for Louisville. Emma McGill clocked a time of 20:34.4 to claim 54^th place, and Maddie Seaby closed out the scoring for the Cardinals with a time of 21:01.3 to place 84^th individually.

The Cardinals will now turn their attention to the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships, which will take place in Charlottesville, Va. on Nov. 14 as one of nine regional meets that will provide athletes with the opportunity to qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championships.

ACC Cross Country Championships
October 31, 2025
Louisville, Ky. | E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park

* = Personal Record

Men's 8K
Elsingi Kipruto – 22:53.8 *
Ian Kibiwot – 23:17.5
Geoffrey Kirwa – 23:19.5
Gustav Bendsen – 24:05.9 *
Spenser Wolf – 24:27.0
Jackson Nolan – 24:42.3 *
Dylan Wood – 25:05.2
Jack Moore – 25:34.1
Gavin Rockwell – 25:34.6
Josiah Hortin – 25:42.1

Women's 6K
Nancy Chepleting – 20:28.2
Eliza Nicholson – 20:28.4
Olivia Alessandrini – 20:32.4 *
Emma McGill – 20:34.4
Maddie Seaby – 21:01.3
Haley Meade – 21:17.4
Ellie Maurer – 21:50.4 *
Temi Ariyo – 22:12.9
Emma Heckel – 22:14.8

For the latest information on Louisville Cross Country/Track & Field, visit GoCards.com, or follow the team's Instagramand X account at @louisvilletfxc or on Facebook at facebook.com/LouisvilleTFXC.